This is the third chapter of the first story. As before, look out for dark
content and strong language.

Do you honestly think I have legal permission to write this? No, of course
not.

Daughters of Darkness I: Ayame (chapter 3/4)

The sun rested high in the midday sky, unobscurred by any clouds. A small
crowd swarmed over the streets of the business district, with a few gathered
by the remains of the destroyed department store display window. Sai and
Ayame navigated their way through the crowd, not a small feat considering
Ayame’s reliance on a
makeshift crutch. Nothing had been bought or rented, as nothing of interest
had been found. The two had simply strolled, as best as they could, around
the city until they had wearied of it--which was now.

Sai closed his eyes and let his posture fall a little. He cleared his
throat, catching Ayame’s attention. “Ayame, why did you follow me?” he
asked.

“What?” Ayame responded, slightly startled.

“Why did you follow me from the airport? You didn’t have to.”

“I.....I don’t think we should talk about it here.”

“Well, I’d really like to talk about it. I’ve done some thinking, and I
decided I need to talk to you.”

“Sai, can’t we talk this over in private?”

“If you want, we can talk it over at my place.”

The keys never cooperated when they should have. Sai tried five keys
before he found the right one. He unlocked the door and escorted Ayame into
the tiny living room, leading her to a seat on the worn-out sofa. He
cautiously peered his head around the side of a half-door, then breathed a
sigh of relief as he returned.

“Okay, kitchen’s empty,” he told Ayame as he sat down next to her. “We’re
sa--”

“Sai, that you?” Kento’s voice called from the back bedroom. He reappeared
a little while later, dressed in his waiter’s uniform for his weekend double
shift. “Hey, where’ve you been?”

“We were just out. How long’s your shift tonight?”

“Ten hours, and then I’m going to Mia’s to hang out. You wanna come?”

“No, I really can’t. Say hi to everyone for me, okay?”

“Yeah, sure.” Kento left with barely a backwards glance.

Ayame watched him uneasily. “Wow. Normally, he’d chew me out first.”

“Yeah. He’s been acting strange for a while now. I got this phone call
and ever since, he’s.......Well, ever since, I’ve been thinking. That’s why
I wanted to talk to you.”

Sage wandered the woods, trying to think. What should he tell Sai? The
last thing would be to tell him directly; he had seen how effective that was
in gaining his trust. Telling the others would only make things worse,
wouldn’t it? Still, he couldn’t let Sai just die without a chance to defend
himself. Maybe if he told one person, he could do something to protect him.

“You never quite learned the dangers of eavesdropping, did you?” a shrill
voice called out.

Eshe appeared behind him, dagger in hand. Hardly had Sage managed to
glance over his shoulder did the dagger tear through his body, the silver
point protruding from his chest. Everything dissolved for a moment, a
moment of no physical or mental sensation. A warm darkness eventually gave
way to a chill, and he was immobile.
His eyes opened slowly, and he glanced down at his chest; not a single
indication of a wound existed. A nagging, all-consuming pain covered his
motionless form, yet there seemed to be no real tangible matter surrounding
him.

“Why don’t you look down?” Eshe taunted. Sage glanced down and saw....
himself. His limp, icy form was cradled in Ryo’s arms, as he and Mia wept
over him. Not a mark was on his body, not even a bloodstain from the
dagger.

“How did you...?” Sage strained to ask, oddly short of breath. A searing
agony engulfed him, every inch of his being suddenly burning with paralyzing
pain. He couldn’t help but cry out.

“Oh, shut up. You’re not the only one who has to go through this,” Eshe
mused before vanishing. Sage closed his eyes, fighting back the tears
produced by his pain and a fit of preparatory grief. Soon, he would be
here, screaming in agony alongside his best friends.

Ayame’s hands were shaking as they clenched the hot mug. The tremoring
became visibly noticeable, and the hot tea started to spill over onto her
hands in burning waves. Carefully, she set it back on the table and looked
over to the counter across the room. Sai spun around just as she did,
bringing a tray of sweets. He noticed the
shaking of her hands as he lowered the tray to the table, along with the
steaming puddles of tea. He seized a dish towel, pried her hands from the
mug, and carefully began to pat her hands dry. Ayame blushed, making her
shaking worse.

“Calm down, okay?” Sai said as he squeezed her hands through the towel. “I
won’t judge you, no matter what you say.”

“Will you believe me?” Ayame responded, her voice weak. “No one ever
believes me.”

“I’ll believe whatever you have to tell me.”

Ayame steeled her nerves and pulled her hands from the towel. Her eyes
locked into his, awash with waiting tears. “I’m not totally human,” she
began. “I’m half demon. My mother died when I was born, and my
father--he’s the demon--raised me. I was supposed to find him perfect souls
once a year, but then I found one my first time. He was this really sweet
guy, and he helped me hide from my father and taught me how to be a normal
human being. He was like a big brother, he protected me and everything.”
The tears started to roll down her face
over the marks from her gravel scratches. “But I couldn’t protect him from
my father, and he was consumed. It was horrible. I could hear him
screaming and feel every little thing he felt. I promised him I’d protect
any other people that my father went after, but I kept failing and failing,
and I can’t stand it anymore.” Sai held her in a kindly
embrace, letting her cry into his shoulder. She pulled away from him and
stared straight into him. “I don’t wanna lose you, too.”

“Why?”

“Tomorrow’s the new moon, and that’s when my father needs to consume a
perfect soul. Sai, he chose you, and I can’t let him. You’ll never stand
the pain, and you’ll be gone. I don’t think I can protect you without
putting you at more risk.”

“Ayame, I can defend myself.”

“Not from him. He chose you because you were already upset, and he knows
that getting to you would be easy. You can arm yourself to the teeth, and
he’ll still attack your weakest spot and overpower you.”

“You don’t understand. I really can defend myself.”

“No, you can’t. Here, let me show you something.” Ayame closed her eyes
and placed her two straightened forefingers between her gaze; she then
opened her eyes, the placid blue having been usurped by an unearthly amber.
Her hand gestured toward the dish towel on the table, which levitated over
the table for a few seconds; she swung her hand towards the doorway and sent
the dish towel flying into the living room. She lowered her hand back and
rested it on Sai’s arm, her eyes returning to their normal, human coloring
as she did. “That’s the demon in me. I don’t like it, but I have to use it
to protect you.”

“Ayame.” She leaned her head on his shoulder, still crying. “Here, sit
down.” Sai led her into the living room and sat her on the sofa, making a
point to move the dish towel. “If you plan on protecting me, how will you?
I don’t want to belittle you, but that’s not very effective protection
against much of anything.”

“I can vex you so my father can’t touch you. After that, you’re on your
own. You have to accept it, though.” Ayame wiped away her tears and took
Sai’s hands in hers. “Are you willing to accept?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Okay, close your eyes and relax.” Sai shut his eyes and waited, able to
feel Ayame’s warmth against him. She quietly uttered a string of antiquated
words, not a single one familiar to modern ears until the final two:
“Please accept.” Upon these, she leaned forward and ever so gently kissed
him on the lips. A blush stained his face. She pulled away and just looked
at him. “You didn’t accept.”

Sai’s eyes shot open. “What?”

Ayame let her head fall down in shame. “I don’t know why, but you wouldn’t
accept. I can’t help you.” She started to cry again. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to protect me, trust me,” Sai said, consoling her with
another embrace. “If anything, I’ll protect you.”

Ryo sat by the bedside of his dead friend. Even in death, Sage looked
remarkably serene, and not a single mark marred him. His death was so
sudden, so odd, that he just couldn’t accept it. Any second now, he was sure Sage would open his eyes, sit up, and tell him it was a joke. All he
had to do was wait.....and wait.....and
wait......until it sank in. He was gone; he had dropped dead. And if it
could happen that suddenly to Sage, then it could definitely happen to any
one of them. He stood up, gathering every bit of nerve he could before he
had to call his family and break the news to them..........

The spitting headache had barely lasted a minute. When Ryo finally
gathered his bearings, he was stuck. His arms were pinned to his side, and
his legs had no sensation whatsoever. He struggled for a while until he was
too exhausted to continue. Wherever he was, he was staying there for a
while.

As he caught his breath, he caught sight of someone trapped in a deep,
gelatinous blackness in the apparent distance. Sage. “Sage?!” Ryo called
out, his voice echoing. “Sage, can you hear me?!”

“Don’t.....talk....” Sage replied, straining to breathe. No sooner had he
managed to force the last word from his lips than the two were swallowed by
a pain that radiated through their beings; the blackness that held them
began to cover them more and more, adding to their suffering. Cries of
misery echoed through the area, growing
louder and louder. The blackness swallowed the two whole, leaving the
screams to resonate and the pain to amplify.

Ayame sat on the sofa, utterly mute for the last ten minutes. Sai sat
nearly next to her, watching her. Her posture and her new aura of sorrow
and lost hope had seemingly been transferred from him to her by proximity;
her gaze stayed vaguely forward, not truly focused on anything. He rested
his hand on her shoulder, getting only a pathetic stare as a response. He
gave her a sad smile, but she barely mustered the nerve to return it.

“I guess you hate me now,” Ayame finally squeaked. A remaining tear
trickled down her face.

“No, not really,” Sai responded, putting on his best air of confidence.
“You’re trying to help me. That’s more than anyone else will do. I truly
appreciate that.”

“But you don’t LIKE me. You’re just glad I’m here to try and get you
through this, and if you survive, you’ll ditch me. I don’t wanna see anyone
die, but I’d just like it if one person would treat me with some kindness.”

“I like you. You’re a sweet, gentle, compassionate soul, and there’s no
way a sane person could hate you.”

“You sound just like him.” Sai gave her an odd, almost jealous look.
“Aaron, my ‘big brother.’ He kept telling me how I was a good girl with a
good human soul and all. He even gave me my name. I just wish I could’ve
done more to save him. Have you ever felt that helpless?”

Sai swallowed hard and stared straight into Ayame’s lachrymose gaze,
finding tears of his own. “Twice, actually,” he began with a choke that
halted Ayame’s self-pity with its wrenching tone. “In school, there was
this group that always made a point to torment me. Normally, one of the
guys would stand up for me if it got bad,
especially Ryo--they gave him a lot of grief, too. But one day they were
all out sick or away, and that group decided to settle things physically. I
remember their leader sucker-punched me in the stomach, and then I just
remember my friend Rowen standing behind me, holding my arms back. He said
I was throttling that guy and nearly killed him. I didn’t get in trouble,
but I was pretty much shunned by everyone.

“The only person who would listen was Mum. I was her baby, and she raised
me after Dad died. She had heart disease for a long time, and usually my
sister was there to take care of her. But then Sayoko got married and moved
away, and that just left me and Mum. She was the only person who wholly
believed me about the fight--even
my friends thought I was lying, except Rowen. But I really think that if I
hadn’t told her I’d been in a fight, she wouldn’t have been so sick that
last week. And if I’d just stayed home with her like I should’ve, I know
she’d be here now. But I didn’t and now I...” Sai deteriorated into
sobbing. Ayame put aside her own grief and gently held him, stroking his
hair and letting him cry. “Sayoko said I killed her. I know I didn’t mean
to, but...I... And then my
friends just treated me like I was half-insane. First, I get into a fight,
then I let Mummy die, and then I tried to get away from them, and now they
just try to avoid me or send me away or.....I don’t know.” His words were
swallowed in wails of remorse and grief and weeping, hiccuped breaths. “I
can’t do a single damn thing right anymore.”

“Of course you can,” Ayame whispered, still stroking his hair.

“Name one thing.”

“You keep that friend of yours fed. That’s not easy.” Sai laughed a
little. “Isn’t there anything that makes you happy no matter when you think
of it?”

“Yes, one thing. The ocean. It’s so beautiful and full of life. It never
dies or turns against you unless you betray it. It’s the last pure, good
thing I can think of.” Sai looked up at Ayame, his face a little brighter
despite the wash of tears. “What do you think of the ocean?”

“I think it burns.”

“Guys, I’m here!” Kento shouted from the porch of Mia’s house. He grabbed
the doorknob and jerked it, finding it locked. “C’mon, it’s not funny.
Besides--” He delved into his pockets and fished out a keyring loaded to
its capacity; he quickly located the proper key and started to unlock the
door. As he strolled in, he continued, hardly bothering to lower his
volume. “That’s pretty pathetic... Guys?” The living room was empty
except for an untouched can of soda. “Guys?” Kento started down the hall,
having heard the slightest rustling sound echo through its narrow
dimensions. As he finally found the source of the noise, the words he had
intended caught in his
throat.

Ryo was sprawled out in the doorway of one of the rooms, devoid of color or
movement; White Blaze futily nuzzled and licked his face, trying to revive
his fallen master. Kento knelt down and grabbed his stiff wrist; this
couldn’t be real, he had to be alive....... He was long dead. A glance
inside the bedroom revealed to him the tranquil resting place of Sage, as
cold and lifeless as Ryo. Kento slumped down against the wall, letting hot
tears roll down his to his neck. Who could have done this? And, more
importantly, how could he hurt them?

White Blaze curled up to Kento, the two sharing their shock. “I know,
boy,” he whispered, his will to speak nearly gone. A muted thud came from
the living room. The massive white tiger instantly slipped into an angry
alert. “What? Those bastards come back?” White Blaze responded only with
a snarl towards the living room, and Kento stood up, his grief giving way to
familiar anger. He stalked into the living room, failing to note the
tiger’s refusal to follow. Nothing.

“I hope you’re the last,” a shrill female voice whined. “I’m getting
tired.” Kento spun around and stepped back, barely missing the thrust of a
dagger. Eshe stood facing him, a look of bored cruelty meeting his confused
rage. “You wanna make this hard, don’t you?” She dove at him again, but he
sidestepped and dealt her a strong punch in the ribs. She fell to one knee,
winded. “Stupid bastard.”

“You sick bitch,” Kento growled. “Who do you think you are that you can
just walk right in here and take two of my best friends away?!” He swung
his foot to kick her, but she caught him by the ankle and tripped him
against an endtable. He rolled onto his back just in time to stop the
dagger from impaling his face.

“I knew those two were too easy,” Eshe said, straining. She jumped away
and threw two silver balls at him, hitting his chest and throat. Instantly
he was swallowed by wires, each strand digging into his flesh and choking
his air. He thrashed and fought, only finding himself more caught than
before. The room dimmed into a dark blur while the agony of the cutting
wires increased. Finally, the pain spread to his entire body, and the
screams couldn’t be stopped.

“Kento! Kento, open your eyes! C’mon, man, wake up! Fight it!” Kento’s
eyes opened into darkness, the tortured voices of Ryo and Sage echoing
throughout the ill-defined area. They were practically in front of him,
joining in his paralyzed agony.

“You’re al--AAAIIGH!!” Kento strained out, succumbing to a withering wave
of pain.

Sage shut his eyes and fell to his knees, his arms trapped at his sides.
“Why’d you....” He silenced himself as another wave of pain wracked his
form. “You shouldn’t...AAGH!”

“Wha..”

“Don’t let her...” Ryo began before his breath was choked off by a stabbing
attack that doubled him over briefly.

“SHUT UP!” a disembodied voice commanded. The three silenced, robbed of
breath by the sheer violence of the latest attack. “That’s better.”

“You can’t touch water?” Sai asked, his face a twisted mask of shock.
Ayame shook her head. “Not even a drop?” Ayame sighed and shook her head.
“How do you bathe?”

“In horrible pain,” Ayame responded. “I wish I could swim and go out in
rain and all, but it’s the demon again. If I wasn’t half human, it’d kill
me, so at least there’s that.”

“Oh. I guess you won’t wanna see my fish then.”

“I’d love to! Where are they?”

“Here...” Sai stood up and escorted her from the sofa into his simply
arranged bedroom. Ayame paled and hesitated. “It’s okay. I keep them here
so Kento doesn’t get any ideas.” He led her a large tank of fish, an
underwater light glowing an eerie blue throughout the room. “Here, this
one’s Lister. And here’s Rimmer, and Kryten. Oh, and here’s Cat, and
Kochanski. And right here is Holly II. Kento ate Holly I on a dare.”
Ayame touched the glass with her fingertips, and the fish scurried away.
“Hey!” Sai yelled into the tank. “Be nice!”

“I’m sorry. Animals don’t really like me. More of the demon. I mean,
this is nothing. Sometimes birds attack me when I’m walking.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Well, there’s some good things about being half-demon. There’s the whole
floating-stuff thing, and if someone will let me, I can sorta read their
mind.”

“Really?” Sai asked, sitting on the bed. “Try me.”

“Okay. Close your eyes.” Ayame placed the two forefingers of both hands
against his forehead and shut her eyes. A long silence followed, before a
slight grin came across her face. “You sleep with a big stuffed dolphin
named Sparkle.”

“That was too easy. He was right next to me. See?” Eyes closed, Sai
reached over and picked up Sparkle, softly jabbing his plush snout into
Ayame’s stomach.

“Stop it! You’ll break my concentration!” She laughed a little and
returned to silence. Then she burst out laughing. “Oh, you poor kid!”

“What?”

“Okay..... When you were five, your sister and her friends had a slumber
party, during which you were given a perm, a make-over, and put in one of
her lacy nighties.” Sai blushed in embarrassment. “I won’t tell.”

“Do you think you could know everything in a single person’s mind?”

“With a lot of time, maybe. I--AAAIIIGGH!!” Ayame fell to the ground on
her knees, her hands gripping her head. Tears of pain started to form in
her cinched eyes, and her teeth gritted together in a crippling vice. “Stop
it, Nen, stop it....!” she hissed.

Sai pulled her up, noticing how her body trembled uncontrollably. “Ayame?
Ayame?!” A surge of pain traveled through his body, and he heard the
screaming. The voices sounded familiar, but recognition was dulled by the
pain.

“Sai Mouri....” a disembodied man’s voice called.

“Don’t answer, Sai!” Ayame shouted.

“Sure, Sai, ignore me.... Any good-byes you three wanna give your friend?”

“Sai, don’t listen to him!” Sage.

“Don’t let him get to you, man!” Kento.

“You can’t let him take you!” Ryo.

“What are you doing to them?” Sai answered.

“Father, stop it!” Ayame cried.

“Will you shut up?” Nen’s voice responded. “I was addressing Sai. If you
want your late friends to find any sort of rest, you will meet me near
sunrise. And do me a favor... Don’t bring Ayame, or it’ll be much worse
than this.”

The pain relented, yet the two were noticeably shaken. Sai stood up first.
“Rowen.... He doesn’t have Rowen.” Ayame moaned and barely got to her
feet. “Ayame, I have a huge favor to ask. You have to find my friend Rowen
before anyone else does. He can help us.”

“Who?”

“The one with blue hair.”

“Oh, him.... Wait, what about you? I need to protect you.”

“Trust me, I can take care of myself. Please, just go.”

“Are you sure you can handle Nen alone? He--”

Sai seized Ayame’s clammy hands and stared into her eyes with an intense
conviction that was both foreign and familiar. “Ayame, I can take care of
this alone if I have to.” He leaned to kiss her on the cheek, but her face
moved just enough for their lips to meet. The warmth between the two
suddenly seemed to unify and intensify so long as they were together. An
eternity passed until he pulled away. “Take care of yourself.”

Rowen stood on the roof of the apartment building, peering down at the hard
pavement below. He had two options: jump and break something major or
return to his father’s and be beaten within an inch of his life. The bloody
welts under his pajamas told him which seemed the lesser of the two evils.
He edged his feet over the absolute edge of the roof, trying desperately to
avoid the sudden sense of vertigo. He drew a deep breath into his body;
this was really it. He had thought about this escape so many times, and now
he was going to do it.

“Rowen!” his father’s voice angrily called from the stairs. “Rowen, get
back here!”

He jumped. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the fall. It seemed to take so
much longer than expected. Just think, soon he’d never have to endure
another beating, another night of berating, another day out with his
friends, another pick- up game of soccer, another meal, another daily
routine, another hot mug of coffee...... Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea
after all. A panicked yell escaped his lips as his eyes shot open. He was
practically on top of the pavement. The image of his face crushed against
that unyielding cement seemed so likely and so disgusting....All that blood
and mess....He couldn’t watch anymore. The plummet stopped. Slowly, Rowen
opened his eyes and saw....the pavement. Five inches away from his face.

“Are you okay?” Ayame asked. Rowen craned his head around to see her
standing next to him, upside down, with her hand held up near her face.
“You need help?”

“Rowen!” the distant bellow of Rowen’s irate father echoed down the
streets; Rowen froze for an instant.

“Yes, definitely,” Rowen hastily answered, and he twisted himself around in
the air enough to land on his feet as Ayame lowered her hand. “Thanks.” He
led her into a nearby alley, watching as his father ran by with belt in
hand. “Who are you?”

“I’m a friend of Sai’s. He sent me to find you.” Ayame looked at him
oddly. “Do you know anyone named Aaron?”

“A cousin, died a few years ago. Why?” Rowen jumped slightly as Ayame
gave him an unwelcomely familiar hug. “Uh...you mind?”

Ayame backed away and smiled meekly. “Sorry. Please, come with me. Sai
really needs your help.” She led him down the silent night street in a
rushed pace. Rowen shuddered, not really dressed for the trip. Between his
shivering and his injuries, he had a hard time keeping up.

“Wait!” Ayame lagged back slightly at his demand. “What’s wrong?”

“Sai needs your help. He needs you to help him. And since you knew Aaron,
you’re perfect.”

Rowen seized her shoulder and stopped her. “Okay, two things: how do you
know Aaron, and why can’t Sai get someone else to help?”

“We really should keep moving.”

“Not until you tell me who you are.”

“Okay, your cousin helped me out, and I owe it to him to keep you moving
and get you to help protect Sai.”

“What?” Ayame seized his hand and started to drag him down the streets.
“Hey, wait! You didn’t answer me! Stop it!”

“Dammit, I knew I missed one,” Eshe’s voice whined from behind them. Ayame
shoved Rowen to the ground and took the dagger through the chest that was
intended for him. She stood up for a moment, holding the blade with an
unsteady hand, until Eshe pushed her off and let her fall beside Rowen,
blood staining her body. “Will you keep out of this?” She turned her
attention to Rowen. “Dear boy, I’ve had a long day. I’ve had to take three
little runts like you, and the last one gave me grief. So why don’t you
just hold still, and I’ll make it relatively painless.” Rowen stood up a
little, mustering a fairly threatening look.

“ARMOR OF STRATA--DAO INOCHI!!!” Time froze as Rowen let the scrolls of
silk and cherry blossom petals swirl around him. When the spectacle
finished, he stood nearly at attention in his deep blue armor, compound bow
in hand. He gave Eshe a glare of pure ice and nerve. “I’d really rather
give you more grief.”

Eshe just stared, raising one plucked eyebrow. “.....The hell?! Don’t
tell me you and all your ROWDY friends can do that.”

“Sorry, we can.”

“Oh, well, thank goodness those three never did THAT. That one didn’t even
hear me. Y’know, I’ll just let Nen take care of you and the perfect one,
‘cuz I’m tired.” Eshe lept towards him, and Rowen quickly fired off a
volley of arrows, one of which struck her leg. She fell. “Shit. Damn,
it’s gonna be fun killing you.” When she looked up, she caught sight of
Rowen helping Ayame to her feet; a grin flashed across her face as she
seized one of her silver balls. “Hey! Don’t even think about leaving!”
She tossed the ball at the two.

Ayame shoved Rowen aside, letting the ball strike her just below her knife
wound. The wires dug into her sharper than ever and lept over more of her
body than before, choking her mouth and leaving her hands twisted in their
slightly defensive stance. Eshe pulled her back, holding her up like a
price catch. Rowen watched in baffled
silence as Ayame trembled and struggled to stay awake. Eshe placed the
dagger to Ayame’s throat, drawing a weak whimper.

“You know what?” Eshe started. “Why don’t you try and defend your little
friend, and I’ll take this bad--” She gave Ayame a rough jerk.
“--little--” Another jerk. “--girl--” Another jerk. “--back to her
daddy. Once he’s done with you, I’ll let him deal with her. Pass that on
to Sai.”

Eshe vanished into the night, leaving Rowen standing, ready, in the
streets. He tried to sort out what he had just heard, but there was only
one idea discernible in the end. He had to protect Sai. He may not know
why or from what, but it was what he had to do.